5 months ago
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Activists person flagged violations astatine the Kali Tiger Reserve relocation project, entailing the shifting of villagers extracurricular the forests, arsenic the consent of the Grama Sabhas were not obtained nor meetings conducted earlier carrying retired the exercise.
While the workout has been touted arsenic a exemplary for voluntary relocation and rehabilitation, accusation sourced done RTI by activists indicates a flouting of the law.
As per the scheme, the relocation of forest-dwelling communities requires the consent of the gram sabhas concerned. Only aft its consent is obtained tin the proposals beryllium placed earlier the district-level committee headed by the lawman commissioner of the respective districts. This is arsenic per the guidelines of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority arsenic well.
However, accusation gathered from assorted Gram Sabhas successful the Uttara Kannada district, wherever the strategy is being implemented, reveals that nary meetings person taken spot astatine each successful galore of the places.
Incidentally, MLC Shantaram Siddi raised this contented successful the Council aboriginal this year, and the Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre informed the House that 498 families were relocated from the Kali Tiger Reserve betwixt 2020 and 2025 aft outgo of compensation.
As per the reply fixed by the curate families were moved from villages and hamlets nether Anshi, Ulavi, Kateli, Gangoda, Bajarkunang, Nandigadde, Badakan-Shirada, Kadra and Pradhani Gram Panchayats, dispersed crossed Dandeli, Joida and Karwar taluks.
But accusation procured done RTI indicates that astatine galore places including Ulavi, Gangoda, Nandigadde, Badakan-Shirada, Kadra, Gotegali and Ambikanagar, nary Gram Sabha meetings were held during the relocation play and the ineligible request was overlooked oregon bypassed connected aggregate occasion, according to activists.
The MLC was besides informed the Council that 32 families were relocated from villages nether Gangoda Gram Panchayat, 15 families from Kalabhavi colony nether Badakan-Shirada Panchayat, and 18 families from Sulali hamlet nether Kadra Panchayat.
But sources said that respective Panchayats person confirmed that nary Gram Sabha meetings were conducted.
Questions are being raised arsenic to however the relocation proposals were cleared by the district-level committee without the consent of Gram Sabhas, arsenic mandated by the law. Activists are questioning the conservation exemplary successful which section communities person been relocated without the consent of the Gram Sabhas portion tourism is promoted and underline the skewed policies of the government.
